A brain teaser that has raked up millions of views online challenges puzzle enthusiasts to solve a seemingly simple maths problem. The brain teaser has left many scratching their heads as they find out how much money a store lost when someone steals a $100 bill and buys goods from it.
“I’m still trying to work out the answer,” reads the caption of the brain teaser shared on X (formerly Twitter) by an account called Out of Context Human Race. The question written on the paper reads, “A man steals a $100 bill from a store’s register. Then he buys $70 worth of goods at that store using the $100 bill, and gets $30 change. How much money did the store lose?” A hundred dollar bill is kept next to the paper with this maths question.
Here’s what people posted in the comments section of this brain teaser:
“The store lost $100. Then they got that $100 back. So far the store lost $0. But, then the store had to give back $30 in change. So, the store lost $30 for sure. Store also lost $70 worth of goods. So, the store ultimately lost = $30 in cash + $70 in goods = $100 total,” posted an individual.
Another commented, “+100 -70 +30 = $60 in thief pocket. Store: -100 -70 +70 -30 = -130 store lost in merchandise and cash combined.”
“The amount of money was 30 but they also lost 70 worth of merchandise,” remarked a third.
A fourth added, “The store lost a total of $100. Here’s the breakdown: 1. The man stole $100 from the register. This is a loss of $100 for the store. 2. He then buys $70 worth of goods using the stolen $100. The store receives the $100 bill back, but it’s the same bill that was stolen. So, there’s no gain or loss from this transaction yet. 3. The store gives him $30 in change. This is an additional loss of $30 for the store. Adding up the two losses: $100 (stolen money) + $30 (change) = $130. However, the man also left with $70 worth of goods. So, the net loss for the store when considering the value of the goods and the money is still $100.”
“There are 3 transactions here. 1. The transaction that led to having the $100 bill 2. The transaction that led to the $70 tab 3. The difference between the 2 profit margins It really depends on the markups for each individual transaction and expenses to carry all 3 of them out,” shared a fifth.
Were you able to solve this viral brain teaser?
Source: hindustantime
